Can I Make This Recipe Ahead Of Time
Yes, but be warned that the longer ahead you make it, the less creamy it will be. To do so, just prepare everything as the recipe states. Then, instead of baking, cover the dish, and store it in the fridge for 1-2 days. When youre ready to eat, bake as usual, and feel free to add a bit more milk or cream cheese to thin out the sauce!
Easy Baked Mac And Cheese Made With Four Kinds Of Cheese And A Buttery Breadcrumb Topping This Delicious Creamy Mac And Cheese Is Sure To Be A Favorite Of Both Kids And Adults Alike
I originally posted this recipe for Easy Baked Mac and Cheese a few years ago, but Ive made some minor changes since then and wanted to share it again.
Ive tried a lot of different recipes and methods for homemade mac and cheese and I finally came up with this. Its almost as easy as mac and cheese from a box, and much tastier!
We like to make this with shell pasta, because all that cheesy goodness gets trapped inside the noodles. But its just as delicious with good old elbow macaroni too.
Really, you could make this mac and cheese with almost any kind of pasta. Just dont forget the breadcrumb topping because its what makes this dish extra special.
Dont worry that your cheese arent melted and smooth when you first mix things together. Everything will come together in the oven.
As an alternative to baking, you could mix everything up in a large saucepan until the cheese is melted and creamy. You can also substitute extra cheese for the breadcrumb topping. Or why not do both?
Even my dad, who isnt a fan of macaroni and cheese , had to admit that this stuff was pretty good.
My whole family loves this baked version of the classic pasta dish. Its easy and its cheesy. What more could you ask for?
Tell Me About This Baked Mac & Cheese
- Texture: Elbow macaroni can be used in this recipe, but I prefer pasta shells. I just love the way the cheese sauce sticks to the ridged surface and fills the shells. Coupled with the slightly toasted, crisp Panko topping, this baked mac & cheese is amped up with rustic texture.
- Flavor: This recipe offers all the cheesiness you expect from a good macaroni and cheese recipe, but Ive enhanced it with garlic powder, smoked paprika, and mustard powder. The mustard powder adds a sharp kick and added depth of flavor. Its the same seasoning I rave about it in my ham & cheese strata.
- Ease: Pretty easy. The recipe can be broken down into three manageable parts: cooking the pasta, making the sauce, and adding a topping. Plus, its an excellent make-ahead freezer meal prepare everything in advance and freeze it. When youre ready to serve, thaw overnight and bake.
- Time: Set aside about 40 minutes to complete this recipe.
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What You Need To Make Baked Mac And Cheese:
Really simple ingredients in this one, and lots of room to adapt the recipe to make it your own. For this macaroni and cheese recipe, youll need:
- Elbow Macaroni other shapes will work, as will whole wheat pasta. We havent tested this with a grain-free pasta, but it would probably work. Of course, the texture would be slightly different.
- 1 pound of shredded cheese we like extra sharp cheddar, but you can use many types of cheese. We always recommend shredding your own cheese fo the best texture , but pre-grated will work in a pinch.
- Flour this helps the mac and cheese thicken up.
- Ground mustard this is totally optional but it adds depth to the flavor. You can also use dijon mustard if you dont have ground mustard.
- Milk whole, 2%, skimtheyll all work
- Butter helps you get that golden brown top on the macaroni and cheese!
- Salt and Pepper always! You wont need a lot of salt since cheese is salty.
How To Measure Pasta For This Recipe
Sometimes a reader or two has had an issue with how much pasta this recipe needs. This recipe is written by volume and sometimes people think that since a cup is 8 ounces that they can simply use 12-16 ounces of pasta or go by the weight of the dry pasta written on the box.
Youll end up with problems if you do this. Please follow the volume instructions and measure your pasta dry in a measuring cup meant for dry items . Small pastas like ditalini or little wagon wheels can go up to about 2 cups and be fine in the recipe, and large ones like bow tie or cellentani can as well. If you will stick to elbow pasta until you get the hang of things youll be better off.
Ive made this recipe with every pasta shape on the market and if you will measure in cups, your recipe will be just right.
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How To Keep Mac And Cheese Creamy
I’m sharing a handful of tips to help keep your easy baked mac and cheese creamy, smooth, and saucy.
- First, no eggs. Unlike the Southern-style mac and cheese, this creamy version does not include eggs. The eggs help to “set” the casserole, giving it a firm, dry texture. Since that’s not what we’re going for here, you’ll need to leave out the eggs.
- Next, lots of sauce. We’re not skimping on cheese, milk, or cream in this dish. We’ll make plenty of cheese sauce to coat the noodles. It looks like a lot of sauce, but you need that amount in order to keep the dish creamy in the oven.
- Velveeta cheese. That’s right, I said it. Blasphemy?! Maybe! But trust me here: Velveeta melts smoothly into the sauce giving the mac and cheese a rich, creamy texture that you just can’t quite replicate with other types of cheese.
- Baking Time. This casserole goes in the oven at a low temperature for just 15 minutes. This short baking time is important because it’s just long enough to melt the cheese on top and get the noodles hot inside, but it’s not so long that it dries out the pasta and sauce. If you like a crispier crust on top, you can pop it under the broiler for a few minutes at the end.
Baked Mac And Cheese With Tomatoes
The best grilled cheese youve ever had runs head-long into your tomato soup and BOOM. You get baked mac and cheese with tomatoes. One of the best comfort foods gets yet another transformation into this southern classic.
A couple of years ago, a reader asked me if I had a recipe for macaroni and cheese with tomatoes. I thought she meant macaroni and tomatoes which I know well. But she was insistent that nothere was an actual real version of macaroni and cheese that had tomatoes in it and that it was pretty doggone amazing.
I had my doubts.
Until I made it for myself. And now I realize I might be a borderline hard-headed idiot for not making it sooner.
The secret is using stewed tomatoes. Write that down. STEWED. Not diced, not chili-ready, not with basil and oregano. Stewed tomatoes are so good on their owntheyve been cooked down with celery, onion and seasonings and have a slow-cooked flavor straight out of the can.
They might be my new food love.
Make your baked mac and cheese with tomatoes in a large skillet and add your tomatoes as the sauce thickens and bake it all up together. For something fresh, you could add some cooked chicken to the party for a one-dish dinner or some of your favorite vegetables like peas or broccoli.
And just try not to fall in love with those tomatoes. And the macaroni. And the cheese. And the crunchy bread crumbsits just one more way to love something thats already amazing.
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Should You Give Your Mac And Cheese A Topping
You can certainly top your mac and cheese with some Ritz crackers , or you can leave it ungarnished. But if you’re going to top that mac and cheese, it’s best to leave the dish without a topping in the oven to allow a crispy crust of cheese to form first, and then add the topping a few minutes before it’s done baking.
But to be honest, for this baked mac and cheese, we like it without a topping. The creamy interior is oh-so-satisfying with some crunchy corners and crisp bits.
Can You Freeze Baked Mac And Cheese
If you want to get ahead for a busy weeknight, you can make a dish of this mac and cheese in advance. But don’t bake it. Instead, follow all the steps, assemble it, and cook it completely. Then cover it with aluminum foil, and put it in the freezer.
When you’re ready to bake it, thaw it in the fridge for 24 hours, then bake it. You may need to add 5 to 10 minutes of cook time for the casserole to be completely done. But just monitor it for a bubbly, browning top. That’ll be your cue it’s ready to come out of the oven.
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Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
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- Step 2
Microwave milk at HIGH for 1 ½ minutes. Melt butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-low heat whisk in flour until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in warm milk, and cook, whisking constantly, 5 minutes or until thickened.
- Step 3
Whisk in salt, black pepper, 1 cup shredded cheese, and, if desired, red pepper until smooth stir in hot cooked pasta. Spoon pasta mixture into a lightly greased 2-qt. baking dish prepped with cooking spray top with remaining cheese. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
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Perfect Mac And Cheese In 5 Steps:
Gather & Measure The Ingredients
This easy mac and cheese recipe is super fast-paced once you start cooking, so it’s important to have all the ingredients measured and ready to go! As you can see there are only eight, common ingredients in this recipe that most of us have on hand at all times! We will discuss the ingredients and possible substitutions later in this post .
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How To Make Homemade Mac And Cheese For Kids
Cook the noodles in boiling water according to the package directions.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the flour.
Whisk in the milk gradually as you stir.
Continue whisking until the mixture comes to a boil.
If you stop for a minute to rescue your toddler from your 3-year-old sitting on him, thats ok, but dont leave it for too long.
Cook and whisk the boiling milk mixture for about 2 minutes.
Stir in the cheese.
Add the salt and pepper and stir until the cheese is melted.
Add the macaroni noodles to the cheese mixture and mix.
Dump your homemade mac and cheese mixture into a casserole dish or 9×13 rectangle pan .
In a separate small bowl, stir together melted butter and bread crumbs with a dash of pepper.
Sprinkle this breadcrumb mixture over your mac and cheese.
Bake.
Doesnt this homemade mac and cheese look yummy?
Best Ever Macaroni Cheese Recipe
This perfect baked macaroni cheese recipe comes with a creamy cheese sauce, a hint of mustard and uses leftover French stick for its crunchy topping
- 50g baguette, cut into small chunks
- 2 tbsp butter, plus 1 tbsp melted
- 350g spiral or other short pasta
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 tsp English mustard powder
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 250g vegetarian mature cheddar, grated
- 50g parmesan , grated
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Easy Baked Macaroni And Cheese Recipe
This Easy Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe will quickly become a family favorite! Bonus…you don’t even have to boil the noodles first!
Friends, this baked mac and cheese has been our family go to for years. We first had it at a BBQ years ago, and we’ve been making it ever since. For years, we called it Uncle Bill’s baked mac and cheese because we were originally told that the recipe was Matt’s Uncle Bill’s. Then a few years ago, we learned that it was Aunt Missy’s recipe. At least that’s what we think…whoever’s recipe it is, it’s our favorite. When we go to a cookout or pot luck, this is what I am always asked to bring…by both kids and adults! The best part…you don’t have to boil the macaroni first, and it only takes a few ingredients. Put it all together in a dish and pop it in the overn, and you are done! Without further adieu, her is Uncle Bill’s, Aunt Missy’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese!
How To Make Baked Mac And Cheese
Its a straightforward recipe, starting with a basic butter-flour roux that is used to thicken milk to make the cheese sauce. For first timers, I think the short video below will help give you the confidence that youve got this!
The simple trick to avoid lumps in the Mac and Cheese Sauce is to pour the milk in slowly while constantly stirring, then just switch to a whisk if needed to remove any stubborn lumps!
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Variations Of Mac And Cheese
- Bacon if you love bacon, feel free to add some crispy, crumbled bacon to the topping, or even inside the mac and cheese as well!
- Stovetop if youd prefer not to bake this mac and cheese, you dont have to! Make sure you boil your pasta until al dente , and youll only need about 3 3 1/2 cups of cheese total. No need to layer the pasta and cheese, just add all the cheese to the sauce, then combine with the pasta.
- Different Toppings Im a huge fan of the cheese layer on top, since it gets nice and crispy, but we also love tossing 1 cup of panko with 2 Tbsp of melted butter and using that as a topping. 1 cup of crushed Ritz crackers with 2 Tbsp of butter work amazingly well too!
- Different Baking Times the recipe calls for a lower baking temperature and time, but most of the time I find myself adjusting that based on my familys tastes. I like to bake this mac and cheese at 350 F degrees for 30 minutes, then broil for 2-3 minutes to get that glorious cheesy crust.
Tips For The Best Macaroni And Cheese Youll Ever Eat
Feel like you may still need some help? If you have time, jump over to this post for the juicy details: 18 Secrets to the Richest, Creamiest Mac and Cheese Youll Ever Eat or focus on these tips:
Never stop stirring your milk once it hits the pan. If your skillet is too hot or you walk away and for a minute you could scorch the white sauce and it will curdle. It doesnt really hurt the taste, but it will look sort of clumpy. Some readers have called it grainy. It only takes 5 minutes. Just hang out and stir until that sauce is thick enough to coat the back of your spoon.
Use good cheese in your baked macaroni and cheese. That means avoiding bagged, pre-shredded cheeses because they contain cellulose that can in some cases cause your cheese not to melt as it should. -And speaking of cheese, you have so many options! My favorite is sharp cheddar and Swiss.
-Try to choose a melting cheese and a flavor cheesefor the best flavor and texture in your baked macaroni and cheese.
Do taste as you go. Taste your cheese sauce before you add your pasta. Is it bland? That can be because of the cheese you used or even the kind of salt you seasoned with. If it doesnt have enough flavor, add a pinch more salt, stir it in and taste it again until it suits you.
-Feel free to add more pasta if you want to. Some people say that this recipe doesnt have enough noodles in it, but Ive never had that problem. And yes, you should cook your pasta before adding it to the cheese sauce.
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Easy Baked Macaroni And Cheese
The key to this baked macaroni and cheese is the rich and velvety cheese sauce made with sharp cheddar and smooth cream cheese. Topped with breadcrumbs and baked for a wonderfully crisp and textured finish, this is comfort food at its best.
If youve been in a dinner rut lately, you likely need a boost of motivation with a simple strategy. Heres what I do and youre welcome to borrow it: prepare a new-to-you dinner recipe just once a week. When Im bored in the kitchen, I use this easy and manageable one-night-a-week commitment to keep dinnertime creative, interesting, and satisfying.
The latest and greatest dinner recipe in my kitchen is baked macaroni and cheese. Its certainly nothing new and unique, but it makes a terrific meat-free meal alongside something healthier like fresh salad or steamed green beans.